Folding-machine.



A. B. GREEN, FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I8, 1916.

Patented July 10, 1917.

r rrr ARTHUR B. GREEN, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR '10 FISKE WARREN, 0F HARVARD, IVIASSACHUSETTS, CHARLES W. WARD, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ROGER 1). SMITH, OF DEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, TVALTER B. NYE, OF NEWTON, MASSACHU- SETTS, HERBERT W. MASON, OF IPSWICH, MASSACHUSETTS, AND SAMUEL I). WAR- REN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, COPARTNERS UNDER THE FIRM STYLE 0]? S. D. WARREN & COMPANY.

NAME AND FOLDING-1VACHINE Application filed April 18, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

ie it known that I, ARTHUR B. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding-ll lachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for :loldin-g sheet material and more particularly the'invention relates to apparatus for applying a folding test to paper. One object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for subjecting any kind or grade of paper, including pulp sheets or green paper, to an accurate folding test. Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for subjecting paper for use in books to a folding test closely approximating the folding action employed in the manufacture of books.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

In the broader aspects of my invention I contemplate suitable means for gripping a piece of sheet material and means for fold ing the material through a sharp angle which may or may not be an acute angle. The gripping means may comprise knife edges each subtending a suitable angle. The folding means may comprise one or more members suitably mounted to be moved over the knife edges under pressure.

The particular form of the invention illustrated. in the drawings comprises a frame 1 supporting, by means of bolts 2 and 3, a

jaw member 1 to which. is pivoted, at 5, a cooperating jaw member 6. The jaw memhere are respectively provided with smooth surfaces 7 and 8, which, together with the cooperating faces of the jaws, comprise knife edges 9 and 1.0. The sheet of stock 11 to be tested is clamped between the jaws and means is provided to fold the stock back and forth over the knife edges. A. suitable form of folding meanscomprises two rollers 12 and 13 rotatably mounted at opposite Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1917.

Serial No. 92,017.

ends in members 11 which link the rollers together and maintain their axes parallel. These connected rollers are mounted on arms 15 sliding in sleeves 16, which are pivoted at 17 to jaw member Suitable driving means 18 is provided to cause therollers to roll back and forth on surfaces 7 and 8 over the peak formed by knife edges 9 and 10. The rollers are urged against the surfaces 7 and S by compression springs 19 surrounding the outer ends of arms 15 and bearingagainst stops on the outer ends of the arms and sleeves, respectively. By suitable means 20 the pivotal. connections 17 are preferably made horizontally adjustable, so that the rollers 12 and 13 may be accurately maintained in parallelism with the knife edges 9 and 10. The stops on the outer ends of the arms are threaded onto the arms, or otherwise adjustably' secured. thereto, whereby the compression of the springs 19 may be varied to afford the pressure between the rollers and the surfaces 7 and 8 suitable for testing any particular material or any particular grade of material. The jaws-ft and 6 are urged together under suitable pressure by means ofa compression spring 21 surrounding a connecting link 22 and bearing at its respective ends against a stop on jaw 4: and a collar 23 sliding on link 22. The compression of spring 21 may be varied by means of lever 21 having a cam-shaped head 25 pivoted at 26 to the link 22. Then the lever is in the lower position, as shown in the drawings, the portion of the cam surface having the largest radius bears against the collar and the spring is under maximum compression. hen the lever is moved into horizontal position the compression is re duced.

Any driving means for moving the rollers 12 and 13 to and fro over the knife edges 9 and 10 may be employed, a suitable form being shown in the drawings and designated generally by the numeral 18. T his particular mecl'ianism conmrises a shaft 31 mounted in bearings 32 on frame and carrying a disk 34 and pin 35 to which is pivoted crank shaft 36 and yoke 37 connecting the driving mechanism with the folding rollers. The shaft 31 is rotated in the direction of the arrow by means of hand wheel 38 or pulley 39. The shaft carries a worm gear l0 meshing with a worm wheel ll which rotates a pointer 42 over a counter disk graduated to indicate the number of reciprocations of the rollers over the knife edges. By withdrawing the pin M: the worm wheel may be rotated about pivot out of contact with the worm gear 40 to permit the pointer to be set at zero before beginning a test. 7 The solenoid 4:7 surrounds pin 4+1: and is so arranged that, when energized, it will withdraw pin 44 and thereby disconnect the counter mechanism from the driving shaft '31. The solenoid may be automatically controlled in any suitable manner to stop the counter mechanism at the instant-of frac true, one simple manner being to connect one side of the circuit of the solenoid to a clamp which may be secured to'the end of the stock projecting downwardly between the rollers, connecting the other side of the circuit to a conducting plate beneath the rollers, so that, when fracture occurs and the end of the stock falls, the circuit will he closed.

"In applying a folding test to a sheet of paper, for example, the lever 24 is moved to upper position to permit the jaws to move slightly apart and the folding means is positioned with the respective rollers on opposite sides of the knife edges. then inserted between. the rollers and the jaws and the lever 24 is moved either to'the horizontal or to the lower position to cause the spring to exert the proper pressure on the stock. After the counter mechanism has been set at Zero, the rollers are caused'to move to and .fro over the knife edges, folding the paper sharply through an angle of over 180 at each reciprocation until the piece falls. The strength of the test piece is indicated on the counter in terms of single folds before fracture.

I claim: 7 1. A folding machine comprising means to position the stock and means to fold the .the stock, and meansfor rolling stock back and forth.

, 2. A folding machine comprising means to clamp the stock and means bearing on saidclamping means to fold-the stock back and forth.

I A folding machine comprising means to clamp the stock, roller means for folding the roller clamping hack and means back and forth over the means, thereby to fold the stock forth.

l. A folding machine comprising jaws to clamp the stock, and means bearing on said clamping jaws to fold the stock back and forth. r

' A folding'machine comprising jaws The paper is having opposing faces to engage the stock and having surfaces respectively making an angle with said faces, and means bearing on said surfaces to fold the stock back and forth.

(3. A folding machine con'iprising jaws having opposing faces to engage the stock and having surfaces respectively making an angle of approximately with said faces. roller means, and means for rolling the roller means back and forth over said surfaces past said faces, thereby to fold the stock back and, forth.

T. A folding machine comprising jaws having opposing faces to engage the stock, and having surfaces respectively making an angle of less than t)() with said faces, and means bearing on said surfaces to fold the stock back and forth.

8. A folding machine comprising jaws having opposing faces to engage the stock and having surfaces respectively making an angle of less than 90 with said faces, roller means, and means for rolling the roller means back and forth over said surfaces past said faces, thereby to fold the stock back and forth.

9. A folding machine comprising aws having opposing faces to engage the stock and having surfaces respectively making an angle to form knife edges, and means hearing on said surfaces to fold the stock hack and forth over said knife edges.

10. A folding machine comprising jaws having opposing faces to engage. the stock and having surfaces respectively making such angles with said faces aS to form knife edges, rollers, and means for rolling the rollers on. said surfaces to fold the stock back and forth over said knife edges.

11. A folding machine comprising jaws having opposing faces to engage the stock and having surfaces rcsjwctivcly making an angle of less than 90 with said faces to form knife edges, and means hearing on said surfaces to fold the stock back and forth over said knife edges.

12. A folding machine comprising jaws having opposing faces to engage the stock and having surfaces respectively making an angle with said faces, rollers spaced apart to receive the stock therelwtavecn, and means for rolling said rollers on said surfaces to fold the stock back and forth.

13. A folding machine comprising jaws having opposing faces to engage the stock and having surfaces respectively making an angle with said faces, means to yieldingly force said jaws together. means bearing on said surfaces to fold the stock back and forth, and means to yieldingly force said second means against said surfaces.

H. A folding machine comprising knife edges, rollers, means to move said rollers over said knife edges, and means to urge said rollers against said knife edges at sulr stantially constant pressure as said rollers move to and fro over said knife edges.

15. A folding machine comprising knife edges, rollers, means to move said rollers said knife edges, and means to urge said rollers against said knife edges at substantially constant pressure as said rollers move to and fro over said knife edges.

17. A folding machine comprising knife edges, rollers parallel with said knife edges, means to move said rollers over said knife edges, and means to urge said rollers against said knife edges at substantially constant pressure as said rollers more to and fro over said knife edges.

18. A folding machine comprising gripping means having oblique surfaces forming a peak, rollers spaced apart to receive the stock therebetween, and means to yieldingly force said rollers against said grip ping means, whereby the stock is bent back and forth as the rollers move to and fro over said peak.

19. A folding machine comprising jaws having faces to clamp the stock, said jaws having surfaces respectively making an angle with said faces to form knife edges, means pivotally mounted at opposite ends of said jaws and yieldingly forced against said surfaces, whereby the stock is bent back and forth as the means moves back and forth over said knife edges.

Signed by me at Cumberland Maine, this twelfth day of April 1916.

ARTHUR B. GREEN.

topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

